Data providers store data that is requested and used by users. The data model used to store the data by the data provider determines the logical structure of the database and how the data is stored, organized, retrieved and manipulated. Because data providers can use one of many available models, consumers of the data may find it difficult to access and use the needed data if they are using a different physical data model.
To allow users to receive data from data providers using different models, protocols have been developed to expose data from data providers using different models. The Open Data Protocol (OData) is an example of a protocol that can be used to expose data from different applications and stores.
While a protocol can expose data from different sources, the protocol does not provide a logical model used by the provider of the data. Thus, even with the protocols, consumers and providers of the data using different physical data models cannot effectively access and use the data for applications needing the logical model.